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by i_claudia



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-11
Updated: 2009-12-11
Packaged: 2017-11-05 09:01:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/404625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_claudia/pseuds/i_claudia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For randomb33's prompt: <i>Merlin/Arthur, hot cocoa</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





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**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on LJ [here](http://i-claudia.livejournal.com/40980.html#cutid7). (11 December 2009)

When Merlin opens the door to the flat he shares with Arthur, all he wants to do is take his coat and shoes off and collapse somewhere, preferably somewhere with a pile of blankets and maybe a fire to prop his frozen feet in front of. They don’t actually have a fireplace, but they do have a space heater, and Merlin figures that’ll have to be good enough. Maybe Arthur will have made dinner, Merlin thinks, vaguely hopeful. They’ve eaten microwaved soup the last three nights, and he’s starting to get sick of it.

“Arthur?” he calls, unwinding his red scarf from around his neck and gingerly hanging his sopping coat from a hook in the hallway. Christ, but the weather is awful. He’s not sure his fingers will ever fully recover feeling. 

“Ow! Fuck!” Arthur bellows from the kitchen. “Bugger it all—”

“Arthur?” Merlin calls again, worried. Arthur’s usually competent in the kitchen, but sometimes when he tries being extra creative they end up with grease fires in their oven.

“No, it’s fine!” Arthur shouts back. “Don’t come in!”

It’s not exactly an encouraging thing to hear. Merlin sticks his head in the kitchen cautiously, half-afraid something will come flying at his head. All he sees is Arthur, though, hopping around in front of the stove and shaking his hand furiously. A saucepan is bubbling over, brown liquid surging over the sides and hissing when it lands on the hot burner. Merlin can smell burning milk.

“Arthur, what the hell?”

“Burnt myself,” Arthur grits out. “On the pan. Fucking _ow_.”

Merlin sighs and comes up behind Arthur, shutting off the gas with one hand and grabbing Arthur’s wrist with the other. “You’ve got to run it under cold water, idiot,” he tells Arthur, exasperated. Arthur grumbles under his breath, but stands obediently while Merlin turns on the tap and sticks Arthur’s fingers under the water. “What were you doing, anyway?”

“Nothing,” Arthur says, sullen, which immediately makes Merlin suspicious. Adjusting his grip on Arthur so he can turn comfortably, Merlin swivels his head around to examine the kitchen. There are lit candles on the table along with their two remaining uncracked mugs, and the space heater is set up in front of their telly, which has been set up on what looks like all of their old textbooks and a board stolen from Merlin’s bookshelf. The screen is showing an ornate stone fireplace, complete with crackling fire.

Merlin looks back at Arthur, confused, and Arthur ducks his head. “Arthur, what’s all this?”

“It’s pissing down rain and freezing outside, and it’s a mile walk from the Tube,” Arthur tells the counter. “Thought you might, I dunno, want to sit down.”

Merlin can feel a delighted grin stealing across his face, and doesn’t bother trying to hide it. “And the pan on the stove?”

“Hot cocoa,” Arthur admits, shooting a look at Merlin from underneath his eyelashes. “’S all burnt, though; guess the heat was up too high. Tastes awful.”

Merlin can’t help but lean in then, letting go of Arthur’s hand to hook his fingers on Arthur’s belt loops and pull him close. Arthur’s lips are warm against Merlin’s, and when he drapes his arms around Merlin it’s like being wrapped up in a familiar favourite blanket. “You’re hopeless,” Merlin tells him, resting his chin on Arthur’s shoulder.

“Yeah?” Arthur says, and Merlin can feel the gentle buzzing of the words in Arthur’s chest. “Gonna keep me around anyway?”

Merlin smiles again, rubbing his nose on Arthur’s bare neck to warm it up. Arthur shivers, just a little, and wraps his arms tighter around Merlin. “Guess so. Can’t have you burning anyone else’s cocoa; you’re a travesty,” Merlin says, and lets Arthur pull him back into another kiss.


End file.
